


Father and Son

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [30]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 17:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1787947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Father's Day has never been an easy day for Harvey. But with the help of 90s Kid, he may find that he can enjoy the day to its fullest again after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father and Son

**Author's Note:**

> All works can also be found at my LiveJournal page at http://bookishlady242.livejournal.com/
> 
> DISCLAIMER: We do not own these characters nor the people who portray these characters. This is meant as a work of fiction and is fair use. "Father and Son" is performed by Cat Stevens.

Harvey sighed softly to himself as he spun the little balsa wood airplane between his fingers. It seemed so small and fragile in his grown up hand, because his was not the hand such a toy was made for. Harvey remembered hearing the familiar airplane noises filling each room as a young boy pattered through the house, waving his toy around and pretending that he was a jet pilot fighting off bad guys and saving the day. Once the world was safe from harm, the boy would put his plane down and run over to him, jumping up and down and saying that he wanted to be a brave soldier like Daddy one day. Then the boy would shriek and laugh as his brave soldier Daddy chased him around the backyard, playing with him until they were both tuckered out, or until a beautiful blonde woman appeared and told them to wash their faces before supper.

Those peaceful, happy days seemed as if they had just occurred yesterday, and Harvey would have given anything to ensure his time with the two he loved most would stay peaceful and happy forever. But now, the plane was faded, the paint was chipped, and there was no tow-haired, bright eyed little boy who dreamed of being just like him to fly it.

Harvey lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if his boy could see him now, wherever he was. What was he doing now? Was he still happy? Did he still remember him? Harvey could never forget about him, not for a single day. Especially not on this of all days. Now a great longing ached in his chest, making him crave the days where he could become a brave soldier, where he was somebody’s moon and stars, where someone completely depended on him and needed him to heal his scrapes and bruises, fix his broken toys, and save him from monsters in his closet. He would give anything to have that again, even for just one day.

A soft knock on the door broke Harvey out of his thoughts and he stood up, glancing at the time. Breakfast would be ready by now, so Linkara was most likely the one coming to check on how he was doing. Harvey set the little airplane down on the nightstand and rubbed his eyes before checking his appearance in the mirror. Once satisfied that he didn’t look depressing enough to scare away the others from the breakfast table, the singer walked to the door and opened it, his eyes widening in surprise when he discovered that it was not in fact Linkara who had come to visit him.

“Junior? Did you need something?”

90s Kid was standing in a rather awkward position, with his arms held behind his back as if they’d been tied together, and his expression seemed somewhat flustered, but he took in a breath and forced himself to look Harvey in the eye. “Um, yeah I did. Can I come in, Harvey-dude? I just...I just wanted to talk for a minute.” Harvey nodded and stepped back, allowing 90s Kid to come inside, before he closed the door behind him. He expected the teen to sit down somewhere but instead 90s Kid remained standing, his arms still bent back in that odd manner. Before Harvey could even ask why he was standing like that, 90s Kid suddenly flung his hands out in front of him and held out to Harvey what looked to be a thick folded piece of paper. “H-here, dude!” 90s Kid stuttered, his cheeks turning even redder and his hands shaking slightly. “I m-made this for you! I-I know it’s kinda uncool but I hope you like it...Dad...”

Harvey’s eyes widened in surprise as he heard that word slip past 90s Kid’s lips. It brought so many memories to the forefront of his mind, old and new, and Harvey felt his breath hitch, since he hadn’t expected to be called Dad on Father’s Day anymore. He looked down at the piece of paper 90s Kid held out to him and reached out for it, watching as 90s Kid’s hands quickly went into the pockets of his shorts. The front of what turned out to be a card had oddly shaped black letters on it spelling out “Happy Father’s Day”, but Harvey soon realized they weren’t letters at all, but rather Unowns arranged to spell out the phrase. He opened the card to find a colorfully drawn picture of a Raichu in an orange, backwards ball cap and a Delcatty in a fedora, both looking happy as could be, with 90s Kid’s signature in the corner. Harvey’s mouth fell open and 90s Kid began fidgeting as the singer went a minute or so without saying anything.

“Um, I know it’s p-probably silly,” 90s Kid said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “But, um, I know you, uh, l-like Pokémon and I thought that m-maybe drawing us as our favorites would be a r-radical thing to do, right? But I’m sure you’ve seen other people draw them b-better, and it’s okay if you don’t like it-”

“Junior.” 90s Kid stopped as Harvey finally looked back up at him, wearing a smile that took 90s Kid’s breath away. “I don’t even know what to say, but of course I like it! I love it! You’re gonna have to show me how you draw these little guys so well, since I’m gonna want a bunch more of these Poké-pal designs every year!”

90s Kid’s body flooded with relief and his face finally relaxed into an overjoyed smile. “You mean it, dude? You really like it?” He blushed and looked down slightly. “You...you want to keep it? You don’t want to throw it away?”

“Throw it away?” Harvey repeated in a shocked tone, as if such a suggestion was blasphemous. “I’d never want to throw something like this away! You worked so hard on it and you...you made it just for me, didn’t you?” 90s Kid nodded, still looking down in embarrassment. “Then of course I’m going to keep it,” Harvey insisted as he set the card standing face up on his nightstand, next to the balsa plane. “I’m gonna keep it right here so I can look at it whenever I want.”

90s Kid looked to him again, very touched, before he launched himself at Harvey and hugged the older man tightly. “I’m...I’m totally happy you liked it,” he said softly. “It’s been a real long time since I made a card like that and this is the first time...” 90s Kid cut himself off, though Harvey could guess what the end of the sentence was meant to be. He drew his arms around the teen and hugged him tightly as well.

“It’s been a long time since I got a card like that too. I genuinely love it. Thank you so much...son.” Harvey felt the grip around his body tighten so he tightened his as well, and the two stood there in a quiet, warm embrace for a long time. Eventually they pulled apart, both smiling warmly, before 90s Kid adjusted his sunglasses.

“Um, so like, I guess I should go then. You probably wanna go eat and do your own stuff now, so I’ll see ya, dude.”

“Wait.” Harvey said before 90s Kid could even take one step towards the door. He glanced once again at the card next to his bed, then the plane, before he looked back to the teen. “Today is...well, it’s not a good day for me to be alone,” Harvey explained, his fingers twitching slightly as he fought back the urge to grab a cigarette. “So, um, if you’re not busy today, I was hoping that maybe you’d...you’d like to do something with me?” Harvey tried not to let his emotions show too strongly for fear of scaring 90s Kid, but he was honestly longing very deeply to hear a yes answer from the younger man.

90s Kid laughed and gave a small jump up into the air in excitement. He’d secretly been hoping that Harvey would want to spend the day with him, and he was thrilled at being asked. “Dude, for sure! I’m totally not doing anything all day today, so we can do whatever you want for Father’s Day!”

Harvey smiled in relief and even the urge for a cigarette disappeared for once. “That sounds dandy, Junior. You got any ideas for nifty things we can do today?”

90s Kid shook his head. “Nope. I want you to decide, Harvey. It’s your day and all, so I wanna do whatever you really want.”

“Well, how can I turn down an offer like that? Let me think...” Harvey thought for a moment as he wondered what would satisfy his inner cravings on that day. He snapped his fingers as he came up with an idea. “Say, Junior, have you ever been out on that big lake a few miles from here? It’s a beautiful day outside and it’s probably still early enough to fish.”

90s Kid looked interested at once. “No, dude, never. I don’t think I’ve ever even been fishing before, so that totally sounds like fun!”

Harvey got up and squeezed 90s Kid’s shoulder. “Then I guess we know what we’re doing first, huh? I’ll rent us a boat and show you the ropes. Even if we don’t catch much, it’ll still be fun, right?”

90s Kid giggled. “Even if we catch nothing but Luvdiscs, Harvey-dude?”

Harvey laughed, clapping 90s Kid on the back. “Even if we catch nothing but Magikarp, Junior. But I bet you can fish better than Red with an Old Rod.”

“I totally can!” 90s Kid agreed. “I’ll totally catch a Gyarados for sure!”

“That’s my boy.” Harvey cleared his throat and felt his fingers twitch toward his pocket where he kept his cigarette case once again, but he stilled them and instead concentrated on the question weighing in his mind. “Hey, Junior...it’s okay to say no if this makes ya feel weird, but today...would you call me Dad? Like you did before?”

90s Kid nodded instantly, relieving Harvey to his core. “I totally will. I wanna do whatever makes you happy today, Dad.”

Harvey beamed and squeezed the teen’s shoulders with gleeful force. “You’re already doing a great job of that, son,” he said as he guided 90s Kid out the door. “Alright, let’s do some fishing!”

\-----

An hour later, 90s Kid was smiling brightly as he watched the sun sparkle upon the cold, blue waves of an enormous lake. He kept sticking his head over the edge of the boat to watch the water ripple as they passed over it, like an excited dog on his first car trip, and Harvey couldn’t help chuckling as he watched him. 90s Kid’s excitement was infectious and by the time they’d reached their destination, Harvey was almost as pumped up as he was before he went out on stage.

“This looks like the perfect spot,” Harvey said, cutting the motor a few minutes later. He quickly pulled out his fishing rod and a small, Styrofoam bowl before setting to work baiting his hook.

90s Kid watched him, fascinated. “Dude, what are you doing?”

“Well, son, in order to catch a tasty fish, we have to entice them with some tasty grub as well,” Harvey explained, holding up a long, wiggling worm before he jabbed it onto the end of his hook.

“Ugh, gross,” 90s Kid muttered, pulling back slightly from the pole. “Do I have to touch worms too?”

“You don’t if you want to fish with an empty hook,” Harvey teased gently. “Though I don’t think an empty hook will land you a Magikarp, let alone a Gyarados.”

“Oh.” 90s Kid, still looking repulsed, tentatively reached for the bowl of bait. “Well, I-I can totally do this...I’m so hardcore that stabbing worms and pulling their guts out sounds t-totally awesome...”

Harvey silently chuckled before he grabbed the bait and moved it out of 90s Kid’s reach. “You know, I’m being rude. This is your first time on the lake, so I should be the one to bait your line for you until you get a better feel for this whole fishing thing. Would that be okay with you, Junior?”

90s Kid’s face flooded with relief. “That would totally be super okay, Dad.”

Harvey honestly didn’t mind baiting the lines for 90s Kid, since it made him remember how Charlie was grossed out by the bait whenever they went fishing as well, but more than that, he liked just being able to take care of 90s Kid. Even though he was already eighteen and at times much more mature than that age would imply, 90s Kid also had a childlike innocence that was treasured by the singer, and he wanted to be able to spoil him and treat him like his own boy for the day. Thankfully 90s Kid didn’t seem to mind this either, and often basked in any affection offered to him as quickly as Harvey could dole it out.

“There you go, Junior. Here, make sure you hold on tight to the pole, so it won’t go flying into the water. I hate having to fish for my own gear.”

90s Kid giggled and did as instructed. “Is this good, Dad?”

“Perfect. Now, when you’re ready, give it a good swing and cast out your line.” Harvey demonstrated with his own rod and sent the hook sailing out over the water. 90s Kid focused and scanned the lake with his eyes, trying to aim it the same way he would any one of his weapons. He swung the pole and the line sailed out perfectly, landing at almost the same length away Harvey’s did, and before 90s Kid could even ask how he’d done, Harvey was patting him on the back. “I knew you’d be a natural at this, Junior.”

90s Kid flushed happily, swinging the boat a bit with his fidgeting. “Thanks, Dad. Now what do we do?”

“Now we wait.” Harvey leaned back in the boat, resting his hands behind his head. “Sometimes it takes a while, but at least it’s a nice day out here.”

“Totally.” 90s Kid leaned back as well and looked up at the clouds with Harvey, watching them slowly move across the sky. Usually 90s Kid would be less than pleased about an activity where he had to sit in one spot and do nothing for a while, but having his own special day with Harvey was making him almost too excited to stay still. Harvey had been so kind to him ever since they’d returned from their road trip, and 90s Kid couldn’t be happier that the singer was taking him under his wing. He was still growing used to being shown open displays of love, pride, and encouragement from others, and thanks to Harvey, 90s Kid didn’t think he’d ever get enough of such treatment. Before he could think of an interesting topic of conversation, 90s Kid felt a tug on his line. “Huh? Whoa, dude! I think I’ve got something!”

“Already? Sheesh, that good luck of yours is making me jealous,” Harvey teased as he moved closer to 90s Kid. “Okay, Junior, reel it in slowly. Don’t fight with it, and if it starts really struggling give it a little slack before you try again.”

“I think I got it,” 90s Kid declared as he followed Harvey’s instructions and slowly reeled in the line. He wasn’t used to doing things slowly, but with Harvey’s gentle encouragement, fishing almost became as easy as driving for the teen, and within a few minutes, he was proudly holding up a moderate sized sunfish. “Wow, this dude is totally wiggly,” 90s Kid muttered before he held it out to Harvey. “Um, can you help me with this?”

“Sure thing, son.” Harvey carefully pulled the fish off the hook and dropped it into a bucket of water he was keeping tucked in the bow of the boat. “Mmm, I can already taste how good its gonna be once we fry that baby up,” he said, licking his lips.

90s Kid, who’d been watching the creature swim around like a goldfish in a pond, suddenly looked surprised. “Wait, you’re gonna eat Arthur?” His expression grew so forlorn that Harvey had to bite back the urge to hug him once again.

“Nah, I was just joshing, Junior,” he quickly said as glanced down at the fish as well. “We’ll let Arthur return to his fishy family and friends.”

“Awesome, dude.” 90s Kid said, relieved once again.

Just then, Harvey’s line started to jiggle like crazy and the singer went to work reeling in his first catch of the day. “Whoa Nellie! This is a big one, Junior, I can feel it! Quick, get the net ready! This baby might be three-no, four feet!”

“Duuuuude, this fish is going to be totally gigantic!” 90s Kid agreed, excited to see the superb skills a fisherman like Harvey held. He eagerly held out the net, ready to catch whatever Harvey reeled in, and cried out happily when at last the creature emerged from the water. Then he paused as he took a good look at the fish, which seemed to be a five-inch yellow-bellied perch, before he broke out in peals of laughter. “Hehehehe! Oh H-Harvey, I h-hope the net is big enough for this dude, hehehehe!”

Harvey’s face flushed bright red and he quickly tossed the fish back into the water, while 90s Kid nearly started coughing from laughing so hard. “Alright, alright, laugh it up,” he mumbled, baiting their lines once again. “I haven’t been fishing in a good few decades; I’m out of practice, okay?”

90s Kid reached out and squeezed Harvey’s shoulder for a minute before casting out his line as well. “It’s okay, Dad. I still think you’re awesome at fishing.”

Harvey felt a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through him. “Thanks, son.” The two continued casting out and reeling in their lines for a good hour, not catching anything else, but having enough fun by telling jokes and stories that they really didn’t notice their lack of fish. Then, just as Harvey was about to suggest heading back to shore and getting some lunch, the boat jerked and they both sat up straight, 90s Kid hanging onto his rod for dear life.

“Dude! This fish feels majorly big and heavy!” 90s Kid lurched forward and he almost would have fallen into the water if Harvey hadn’t grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.

“Reel it in, Junior! Pull as hard as you can!” 90s Kid grunted and pulled and sweated until something finally came up to the surface on the hook – something which turned out to be a wool cap. “Huh?” The two stared at it in confusion.

“What the heck is that?”

“I dunno, but it kinda looks sorta familiar...”

“Hey!” an angry voice yelled as a half-naked man with greasy black hair popped up beside the boat, nearly causing Harvey to have a heart attack. “Can’t a bum take a bath without having his hat stolen?!”

90s Kid blinked and reached for the line before disentangling the hat from the hook. “Uh, sorry, Chester-dude. Here you go.” Chester snatched up the hat and put the sopping wet garment back on his head.

“Chester!” Lester waved from a small, hole-riddled dinghy out further in the lake and held up an article of clothing in the air. “You lost your swimming-ma trunks again!”

Harvey and 90s Kid blinked at Lester, then at each other, before Harvey started reaching for the motor. “Uh, I think we’ve had enough of fishing for today, Junior. What do you think?”

“Yeah, I think you’re right, Dad.” 90s Kid said goodbye to Arthur and dumped him back into the water before the two motored away and back to shore.

\-----

“Alright, champ, put it right here!” Harvey clapped his hands together and extended them, ready for 90s Kid’s throw. 90s Kid grinned and wound up his arm several times before releasing his hold on the baseball and sending it wildly into the air. While he would never end up on any professional teams, his throw was perfect in Harvey’s eyes. Harvey easily reached up and snatched the baseball before it landed somewhere in the woods and just as easily returned it directly into 90s Kid’s hands.

“Sorry I’m, like, not that good at this baseball stuff,” 90s Kid apologized as he tried to aim his next throw a little more accurately. “Sports are just, like, not my thing. I was never really good at them.” He cringed a bit when his throw veered off far to the right, but once again Harvey pulled it out of the air with ease.

“Don’t worry about that, Junior. Sports ain’t for everyone, so you don’t gotta feel bad if playing ball’s not your deal.” Harvey tried to smile and show 90s Kid that it didn’t bother him if he never ended up playing in the World Series, but he could tell that 90s Kid still felt a little self-conscious about his abilities. “Say, why don’t I show you my patented Finevoice Fireball,” he suggested, hoping that would help the younger man perk back up. “It’s so hot, you’ll see smoke coming off the ball.”

To Harvey’s joy, 90s Kid did seem interested by this suggestion, his expression growing eager once more. “Really? That sounds awesome! I totally want to see that!”

Grinning proudly now, Harvey rolled his shoulders and loosened up his arm before he took a breath, pulled back his arm, and let loose with an extremely fast throw. Harvey laughed as he watched it sail through the air, before the sound died in his throat when the ball collided directly with the side of 90s Kid’s head. “Ahhhh! Oh Lord, Junior! Are you okay?!”

90s Kid fell to his knees, his hand pressed to the side of his head, an oddly blank look on his face. There was a dull throbbing in his temple and his ears were ringing a bit, and he didn’t even hear Harvey’s shouting at first. Harvey raced over to him and knelt down, looking fearful of what he had just done. “Oh, Junior, I’m so sorry! I swear I never meant to bean you with that! Here, move your hand so I can look, alright?” He pulled 90s Kid’s hand away from the injured area and looked carefully. He couldn’t see through 90s Kid’s hair, but at least there wasn’t any blood, so that was something. Then he turned his attention to 90s Kid and had the younger man face him. “You feel dizzy? You need the doc?”

90s Kid shook his head and started to come back to himself. “No, I’m okay, Dad,” he said quietly, rubbing his head a bit more. “It’s, like, starting to clear up already.”

Harvey held his hand in front of 90s Kid’s face. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two.”

“What year is it? Who’s the president? Where do we live?”

“Really, Dad, I’m okay. It was an accident, right? I’m fine.” Harvey’s worry was still there, but he helped 90s Kid to his feet and allowed him to lean against his body. “Um, like, where’s the ball, dude?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. Here, come sit down until you get to feelin’ better.” Harvey still felt awful, but 90s Kid didn’t seem to be too fazed by the injury, and he knew he’d have Linksano check him over when they got home just to be safe, so he tried not to worry about it just as the teen suggested. After sitting 90s Kid down on the park bench, he put his arm around him and squeezed, still looking at the side of his head with worry. Before he even realized he was doing it, Harvey leaned over and pressed his lips gently against the sore patch of skin. Then he flushed and pulled back at once. “Oh, Junior, I-I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what I was thinking.” This was not entirely true, since Harvey had been thinking about all the times he’d kissed Charlie when he’d been hurt, but he wasn’t sure admitting that would be the best thing for him right then.

To Harvey’s surprise, 90s Kid leaned against Harvey instinctively, the ache on the side of his head already starting to abate. “No, it’s cool, man. I know you feel bad and wanna help me feel better…so it’s cool…” 90s Kid closed his eyes for a moment, feeling perfectly safe and content as he rested beside the older man. He craved physical affection almost more than emotional validation, so a gesture like this from Harvey was something he felt extremely lucky to receive, even if he was too shy to admit that.

As time slowly passed, 90s Kid began to feel much better and he opened his eyes again, his strength and energy returning to him. He knew, though, that Harvey must still feel awful about the accident and he didn’t want Harvey to feel that way on what was supposed to be a special day for him, so he thought about finding some way to relieve his guilt. Eventually he lowered his hand from massaging the sore spot on his skull and smiled over at the singer. “That was still a totally awesome pitch, dude. I totally wish I had an arm as good as yours.”

“This is no big deal,” Harvey brushed off, still too worried to smile back.

“I bet you had to practice a totally long time to get that good,” 90s Kid continued, trying to draw Harvey’s mind away from his injury.

“I suppose I did,” Harvey finally relented, “though I never had a genuine ball like this one we have. I mostly practiced with rocks. I guess throwing those at the mooks down the road did hone my arm pretty good.”

90s Kid’s expression turned curious. “Why’d you throw rocks at people?”

“Oh, we were always having crazy fights when I was young,” Harvey explained. “Rock fights, stick fights, mud fights – if you could pick it up and throw it, it would eventually get chucked at your head.”

“That sounds totally hardcore!” 90s Kid cried, causing Harvey’s lips to twitch as he chuckled lightly.

“It was stupid, mostly. I’m lucky I survived my childhood without any major injuries.”

“I bet you were way too tough to get taken down by junk like that,” 90s Kid said, knowing how much Harvey loved having his ego stroked. “I bet you got in fights all the time and totally won them all!”

“Heh, not until I learned how to box,” Harvey admitted, leaning back against the bench as he started regaling 90s Kid with tales of the scrapes he got into in his youth. Eventually the two forgot all about the baseball to the head, and by the time the ice cream vendor walked by the bench, both men were laughing and smiling widely. “Say, can I get two of those,” Harvey shouted to the vendor before he handed 90s Kid a sweet treat. “Here, son, it’s on me. Just don’t tell ‘Mom’ I let you have sweets before dinner.” Harvey finished with a friendly wink.

90s Kid giggled and accepted it eagerly. “I totally don’t mind keeping secrets from Mom.” he agreed. The two enjoyed their cones for a minute in silence before 90s Kid piped up again. “Thanks again for coming out with me for Father’s Day, Dad. Today’s been totally fun.”

Harvey smiled and squeezed his shoulder again. “I should be the one thanking you. I haven’t had a day this nice in a long time.” Harvey licked his cone again and reflected for a moment. “You know, it’s funny. Normally I don’t like going anywhere today, but ever since last year, that’s all changed.”

90s Kid looked to Harvey suddenly. “Do you still…feel okay, dude?”

Harvey nodded his head. “Yeah, I do. In fact, I actually feel pretty great.” 90s Kid blushed and fidgeted and focused on eating his ice cream cone. He didn’t think that his card and offering to spend time with Harvey that day would help him so much, but in actuality it was helping 90s Kid too. The teen felt a warm feeling spread through his veins as he realized that Harvey genuinely felt good because of what he’d done.

“I feel pretty great too. You’re the coolest Dad ever.”

Now it was Harvey’s turn to blush. “Thanks, son. Glad I can live up to the title.” The two of them finished their ice cream and smiled at each other. “You feeling good enough to stand, Junior?” He extended his hand to help 90s Kid stand, which the teen graciously accepted.

After a moment on his legs, 90s Kid found that he could stand without wobbling, to both of their relief. “Yeah, I’m okay now. I am sorta hungry, though.”

Harvey laughed. “You have a separate stomach for desserts, don’cha? That’s okay, since I’m pretty starved myself. Let’s go find some dinner.” Harvey and 90s Kid continued chatting as they walked off toward the car, neither of them realizing that 90s Kid still hadn’t let go of Harvey’s hand.

\-----

After a tasty dinner of fish and chips, chosen since Harvey still was in the mood for something from the sea after their earlier excursion, the two drove around in the car for a while longer chatting and joking around and just generally enjoying each other’s company. As they rode along, they passed by the game shop 90s Kid loved to visit when he had spare time, and spare cash to blow. To 90s Kid’s surprise, Harvey pulled into the parking lot and gestured for him to follow the older man out of the car.

“You wanna go shopping, Dad?” 90s Kid asked as he walked with Harvey into the store. This wouldn’t be much of a shock to him, since Harvey was never one to pass up the chance to pull out his credit cards, but a game store was a surprising choice for his next shopping spree.

“Yep. I wanna place an early order for the new Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games,” Harvey informed him before he moved to speak with the man behind the counter. While Harvey talked, 90s Kid milled around the shop, checking to see if any new games from the 90s had been traded in for purchase, before he moved back to Harvey’s side. He expected that Harvey would be ready to leave by now, but to 90s Kid’s surprise; Harvey was still looking at some items on the counter. “Ah, great timing Junior. Listen, I wanna ask you a question. Which do you think is better, Pokémon X or Pokémon Y?”

“Oh, dude, Pokémon X is totally better, cuz X is totally the most extreme letter there is! But why, dude? Don’t you already have both?”

Harvey nodded. “That’s true, Junior, I’ve got every Pokémon game this side of the western hemisphere. But the Kid’s usually too busy to help me with trading or battling, plus I’ve heard you have good luck with shinies in the old games.” Harvey then held up a black Nintendo 3DS. “You think this’ll be extreme enough for you to play Pokémon X with, Junior?”

90s Kid’s jaw dropped and he looked as though he couldn’t comprehend what was happening. “What? Dude, no way! That’s way too expensive and stuff, Harvey-dude! Linkara would totally kill you for buying it! And, like, why would you wanna get me a present? This is your day, so you should be the one getting presents and junk!”

Harvey’s smile grew warmer as he placed a hand on 90s Kid’s shoulder. “Well, naturally this is gonna be one of our little secrets we keep from Mom,” he began with a wink, “But I also want to get you something to show how much I appreciate today, Junior – and every other day I get to spend with you. I don’t need any presents because you’ve given me the greatest gift I could ever want. I’ve...I’ve lost a lot in my time, Junior. Including some things I thought I’d never be able to have again.” Tears started to form in 90s Kid’s eyes, but thankfully his sunglasses kept them hidden. Harvey wasn’t so lucky and he reached up to wipe his eyes before continuing. “But you’ve given me something very special back, Junior. You help me feel like I really can be someone’s Dad again…and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be my son.”

“D-Dad...” 90s Kid murmured, trying not to break down right there in the store. He instead decided to give Harvey a hug and press his face into the older man’s shoulder until he was okay again. “Well, if you’re totally sure you want to, I won’t tell Mom if you won’t.”

Harvey laughed and reached for his wallet. “I knew I could count on you, son.”

Once 90s Kid’s new 3DS and Pokémon game were safely tucked away in his jean pockets, the two returned to their pleasant night of driving around and conversing, the topic now shifting to which Pokémon starter 90s Kid should select for his upcoming journey. It wasn’t long before the sun set and the stars came out, making for an enjoyable view as they rode along, but also signifying that it was getting late, which was compounded when 90s Kid started yawning.

“Alright, kiddo, I think that it’s time to head home,” Harvey said, turning onto the road that would take them back to Linkara’s place.

“Mmm, okay,” 90s Kid said, closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat. He was feeling quite tired after their busy day, so he didn’t mind the thought of turning in early tonight. Once they were back in the apartment, Harvey found Linksano and had him check 90s Kid to be certain that their adventure in the park hadn’t given him a concussion. Thankfully, 90s Kid was given a clean bill of health, and the two men thanked the scientist before heading upstairs toward 90s Kid’s room. “Thanks a ton for taking me out to do all the radical stuff with you, Da…I mean, Harvey-dude.”

Harvey knew 90s Kid was reverting to his usual nickname since they were back home but he didn’t mind too much, since he’d just spent a whole day being treated as a father again. “I should be the one thanking you for today, Junior.” Harvey said, patting 90s Kid on the shoulder. “I really meant what I said earlier,” he said, his voice lowering. “You really gave me a gift today that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I can’t thank you enough for...for letting me be your Dad, Junior.”

90s Kid turned back around and gave Harvey a shy glance. “Um, like, since I’m just going to bed now, I thought maybe it’d be nice if you...came in and sang something for me. I...I really love it when you sing for me, Dad...”

Harvey looked as though 90s Kid just offered him all the riches in the world. “Son, there is nothing that would make me happier in the world than to sing for you. Go get changed into your pajamas and I’ll meet you there, alright?” 90s Kid nodded eagerly and hurried off to his room to go change. Before he could reach his door, Harvey heard a soft voice from the end of the hallway.

“Everything go okay today, Harvey?” Harvey turned to Linkara, who was watching him carefully, and offered a smile which shone brighter than the sun.

“It went better than okay, Kid. You don’t have to worry tonight. I’m gonna be sleeping easy.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Linkara said, smiling back at him before he walked away. Even though he knew Harvey could look out for himself, he would never stop making certain that the man he loved was at peace with the world.

Harvey took a little time to change into some more comfortable clothes as well, knocking softly on 90s Kid’s door once he was ready. “Come in,” 90s Kid’s voice came back, tired though still bearing some excitement. Harvey opened the door and saw 90s Kid sitting up in bed in his pajamas, smiling widely and without his cap or sunglasses on. Harvey was surprised and touched by such a gesture, for he knew that 90s Kid wasn’t eager for anyone who wasn’t Dan to see him without them on, and the fact that he was fine with showing him the eyes that now held so much love for him was almost overwhelming. Harvey took in a quick breath before he looked into 90s Kid’s eyes.

“Ready for me to sing you into dreamland, Junior?”

“Totally ready, dude.”

Harvey shook his head and approached the bed with a smile. “You’re close, but not quite yet.”

90s Kid looked up in confusion until Harvey gently helped him lay down and pulled the covers over him, making them nice and snug so he’d be warm. 90s Kid relaxed as Harvey made sure that he was comfortable, closing his eyes as the singer’s fingers threaded into his hair. To the outward eye, it might have seemed strange that a teenager would need to be tucked in like this, but it wasn’t like that to the two of them. To Harvey, 90s Kid was his sweet little boy that he wanted to comfort and nurture, and 90s Kid craved it, having never received such treatment in his youth. He wouldn’t mind it if Harvey did this for him every night. “That feels good, Dad…”

“I’m glad to hear it, son,” Harvey whispered, his chest flooding with warmth as he gazed down at his tired boy. He closed his eyes and started to sing _Moon River_ , a favorite lullaby for the two of them, and while he sang, he thought back upon their day, storing all those wonderful memories for future recollection. In no time at all, 90s Kid’s breathing had fallen into a soft, rhythmic pattern and he snuggled in contentment under his blankets. Harvey smiled down at him, stroking his hair gently once more. “You’re such a good boy, Charlie...I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Harvey pulled back his hand then, ready to leave the slumbering teen, when 90s Kid shifted atop his pillow and knocked something onto the floor. Harvey bent down and retrieved what turned out to be a plush orange bear with a large heart on his stomach. Instead of thinking anything mean about 90s Kid for having such an item hidden under his pillow, the singer simply pressed it into 90s Kid’s arms and watched as he cuddled it close to his chest. Anything that gave his boy peace was perfectly acceptable in Harvey’s book. “Good night, son,” he whispered as he softly walked over to the door. “Thanks for making this the best Father’s Day I’ve had in a long time. I love you, Charlie.”

Harvey retired to his bedroom then and changed into his pajamas as well, intending to turn in early just as 90s Kid had. As he climbed into his bed, he glanced over at his nightstand for a moment before picking up both the handmade card and the wooden airplane, hugging both of them close to his chest. “Thank you both for making me feel like the luckiest father in the world. I love you, boys...I really love you.”


End file.
